In light of recent events—and his entire career—it’s completely understandable that we should want to drag Elon Musk to the absolute ends of the Earth. But there’s a right and a wrong way to read someone for filth, and trans people know this best of all.
For pretty much forever, we’ve been made the butt of jokes concerning a person’s inability to perform their gender in the way society expects. This is especially true for trans women. In the same way that people used to accuse a man of acting feminine as a way to position femininity as something shameful, it’s still common for folks to try and humiliate men in power by claiming that they are secretly women.
Related
“None of this will make me think I’m ugly.”
I hope I don’t need to point out the transmisogyny inherent in this. Sure, many bullies of the trans community might, in time, prove to be closeted trans people. But calling them that isn’t helping anyone. All it does is perpetuate harm and make trans women the butt of a not very funny joke.
Culture, unfiltered
Our newsletter will bring you the pulse of queer culture, from the tastemakers to the groundbreakers.
That’s why trans folks aren’t happy about the tendency—across the political spectrum—of calling Elon Musk “Elonia.”
The Elonia bit is tremendously unfunny and extremely cringe.
— Katelyn Burns (@transscribe.bsky.social) November 25, 2024 at 1:14 AM
Is Elon Musk making himself that man’s blood boy? Yes. Is he humiliating himself just for a chance to grab more power? Again, yes. Is the best way to shame him by feminizing his name and comparing him to Melania Trump? No.
On BlueSky, where trans people have found a welcome refuge from the alt-right garbage dump of Twitter, people are taking the time to remind each other of this.
There are many things to make fun of regarding Elon Musk. Perceived femininity isn’t one of them.
Call Elon Musk an idiot, a charlatan, Skeletor, The Riddler, or The Penguin—but don’t act like he has anything in common with the trans community.
Sign up for the INTO newsletter and get your twice-weekly dose of stories that shape the queer experience, culture, and lifestyle.
